NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 14, 2009 -> 01:50 PM) Here's the question...it's not "How much of a difference is there between Brian Anderson and an average major leaguer", it's "How much of a difference is there between Brian Anderson and Brent Lillibridge"? It's like going from Ross Gload to Albert Pujols in your lineup. Hey now, no hating on The Ross Gload!

QUOTE (3E8 @ May 14, 2009 -> 12:53 PM) I searched pitch type and plate discipline on FanGraphs for all players with at least 100 PAs. Only Getz sees a higher percentage of fastballs than Fields (and it's less than 1% more) in terms of White Sox players. This is because Josh Fields cannot hit a fastball. If you were to only look at the percentage of fastballs for "power hitters", Fields would be near the top of this list. Fields is 4th worst in either league in terms of how often he makes contact with pitches which are in the strike zone. Fields only makes contact with 72% of pitches in the strike zone (this is quite low for a major league hitter), the next lowest on the White Sox is Jim Thome at 80%. Keep in mind Thome sees much fewer fastballs than Fields does. Fields' lack of contact is due to all the extra movement in his hands before the swing, his hitch. The hitch decreases his bat control and makes hitting fastballs belt-high or above more difficult. I expect pitchers to expoit this weakness more and more until Josh makes some kind of adjustment I could have sworn I just posted this, except without the stats.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ May 13, 2009 -> 03:09 PM) Actually eye witnesses are some of the least reliable evidence in court cases today, all about forensics and motive. Eye witness is not circumstantial evidence.

QUOTE (kyyle23 @ May 14, 2009 -> 10:59 AM) I was thinking of just K23 K2K9?

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ May 14, 2009 -> 11:49 AM) the thing that has frustrated me the most is he is now just attempting to pull EVERYTHING. The HR in Baltimore should have been a good sign for his future. Maybe he won't be a great pull hitter, but he can hit it over 400 feet to right center, so he should have an approach where he's trying to take it all over the field. Apparently that approach doesn't fly on this team and now he's trying to yank everything with a ridiculously long swing that is starting at a blatant hand drop in his setup I don't think that is what is happening. I think he handles offspeed stuff well, fastballs if they are low and/or out and not too fast. So they started giving him a combo of high heat and breakers outside his swing plane. His adjustment, at first, was to try to swing harder to catch up to the inner half / up heat, but that makes it worse, AND it looks like he is trying to hit the left field foul pole. Its that pre-swing bat load that is killing him, mostly. I've seen him tinker with it the last few games, to no avail yet. This is where Walker could be of help, and hopefully is.

I can't believe we are still this close, as bad as we are playing. ITs actually encouraging, in a weird way. We get our starting LF and CF back for the next series. Bad as it looks, the Sox are not out of it.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 14, 2009 -> 09:00 AM) There was a specific detainee they thought had info on an Iraq-Al Qaida connection, and there has been rumors there is a document ordering waterboarding to get the info... whether that surfaces we will see, whether it exists we don't know. But seriously does everything have to drop to the one 24 scenario: Spmos-butsijfosf WHAT IF WE ONLY HAVE 10 MIN. Left. These pr***s are trained for torture, you will not be able to get the info out in 10 minutes. We waterboarded these people 100+ times, that clearly wasn't a time precious scenario. edit: so what I'm saying is, say there was success in one waterboarding, it's a hard sell to me that we couldn't have gotten that info any other way. Clearly as exampled by lost's article, sometimes successful interrogations were called off for EITs, so, I don't know, this is just disgusting. Read the book Curveball, and you will have the answers to your Iraq-AQ connection questions.

7/10, and question 3 is just stupid and doesn't reflect any actual baseball knowledge. If they wanted to go obscure rules, then ask about one of them specifically.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ May 14, 2009 -> 09:36 AM) 'Why not? One game can make all the difference in the world. Why not send Lillibridge down when Nix came back? They had the back up infielder. Lillibridge has shown over and over again he has no business collecting a major league check. His performance is almost historically pitiful. Don't get me wrong, I agree that Lillibridge does not belong on the roster, at least not now. I just don't know that bringing up a guy for two games or whatever is really worth it. A few weeks ago, when Lillibridge was really more an infielder because we had fewer OF injuries, we probably should have replaced him with Nix at that time.

No box links? All three clubs that played won (Kanny off)... Charlotte 2, Scranton 0 Anderson 2-4, 3B, K Contreras as previously discussed Lucy back in the lineup 2 hits for Castillo Link another save Birmingham 2, Carolina 1 JorDanks and Omogrosso rocking as previously noted Fernando Hernandez now with 7 saves and a sub-1 ERA Winston-Salem 4, Lynchburg 3 Mollenhauer: 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, his OPS sits at .900 (may need to start watching this 22-year old) Hudson solid for the W

QUOTE (fathom @ May 14, 2009 -> 12:05 AM) Sorry, Ozzie gets no credit for this. My grandma could tell Lillibridge sucks. Ozzie keeps putting him into the lineup instead of trying to get creative. Would putting Alexei in CF for a week for the sake of the team hurt his development at SS? Hell no, if anything, it could give you more options down the road. Get creative? Look, I'd love to see Kroeger up here as a backup OF instead of Lillibridge, but Anderson comes back from injury rehab tomorrow, and will take Lilli's spot anyway. Why bother getting "creative" for 2 or 3 games?

Fields started well, the league pitchers adjusted to him a bit, and he is struggling. He has also started to change his swing and approach a bit the last couple games, in case no one noticed. He actually looks worse in the meantime, but, he is indeed trying to adjust. Its waaaaaaaay to early to call him a bust.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ May 13, 2009 -> 10:26 PM) Many jet airliners do have autoland, but there needs to be a human on board to make it work. Fly by wire is just as dangerous, because who's to say that those data packets wouldn't be hacked? Pilots are right to complain about low pay, and its something where a little regulation could end up fixing a bad seniority system... do that and the pay issue would probably mostly right itself. Which is why A pilot as A backup makes sense. Two is overkill at this point technologically, IMO. Seperate thought on this... I went through ground school in high school, and even put in 4 hours (dual) on single engine aircraft. I've done wing stalls before (which is what this plane went through). One of the very first things you learn as a pilot is how to handle a wing (aerodynamic) stall. The warnings sound, the stick shakes - the plane makes it quite clear you are about to stall. You then do two things - nose down, and increase throttle, in that order. In the report, they have said that the pilot actually pulled UP on the stick when the stick shaker went off. And, there is ZERO chance this pilot hadn't done stalls in some aircraft at some point in his/her training. Therefore, this whole thing is actually quite simple - the pilot panicked and f***ed up. Now, there is a question there of whether or not more training would help - maybe, I don't know. But its not as if this difference between regional and larger airlines the media keeps harping on is really relevant to the crash. Pilots have all the same training requirements for the same aircraft types. And the salary thing? That is another issue. But certainly, if the regionals pay less, they will get less experienced pilots. You get what you pay for.

QUOTE (G&T @ May 13, 2009 -> 01:58 PM) Can planes land themselves? I think there are two pilots in case one gets sick or something happens during the flight and can't fly. That is why there are two pilots, yes (though some smaller commercial craft have just one). Yes, modern commercial aircraft can land themselves, thought he technology to do so reliably is not on all aircraft. I don't know all the details. But right now, you essentially have a pilot, and backup pilot. I'm saying, have the planes fly by wire, and have a backup pilot.

I think part of the solution here should be fewer pilots on some flights. The way technology is now, planes can 99% fly themselves. Small planes have one pilot instead of two, larger ones two instead of three. Pay instead into technology for better handling the planes from the ground, and the pilot becomes essentially the backup plan. Pay those fewer pilots better.

Did I see that Ozzie got ejected? Anyone watching that can tell me what happened?

Good luck with aaaaaaaaaaaallllll that.

The Dems rise to power from 2006 to 2008 worked primarily for three reasons: 1. The anti-Bush push (as noted here), and just the presence of Bush and his policies 2. Dean and the DNC's 50 state effort 3. The emergence of an unusual good Prez field, led by a charismatic guy named Barack Now, the GOP is on its way downhill in a hurry. So let's look at those three items above. Can the GOP do similar things? 1. The anti-Obama push will only succeed if Obama does pretty badly, and the economy stays in the s***ter for too long. If the economy has improved by 2011 in a noticeable way, and Obama's policies haven't sunk the country, then its a tough road for the GOP to win the Presidency OR significant moves in Congress in 2010 or 2012. 2. The GOP's general push has been to narrow the party, which of course as we all agree is ridiculous. This is the opposite of the 50 state strategy - its the southern state strategy, and will likely fail. 3. The GOP needs to find some charismatic young leadership who isn't psychotic (like Steele) and doesn't make a complete buffoon of themselves in their early appearances (Palin, Jindal). Not sure who that is. I'd suggest the GOP can probably get a nice little rubber band bounce in 2010, by focusing on the insane levels of spending by the government. Not enough to regain any control, but enough to stop the bleeding. But the next step from there depends on how the country looks in 2010 and 2011. If Obama is doing well and the economy is OK, I think you need to pretty much focus on Congress - focus on fiscal restraint, and the idea of not allowing the Dems to control EVERYTHING. Last bit. As completely untrue as it is, the public perception is still that the Republicans are some how better at national security. Any major events that cause problems in that area for the US, especially if on US soil, will help the GOP.

Fortunately, I think Floyd's problems are primarily mental. He's out of sorts. But I still think he finds a way to put it together and have a decent season from June to the end. Not spectacular, not as good as 2008, but mid-rotation decent. And I saw Fields last night trying to make adjustments as well - we'll see if he can shorten up that bat load a bit.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 12, 2009 -> 11:54 PM) Do you honestly believe that Walker is in the cage everyday teaching Lillibridge a long, loopy uppercut swing? You don't think he's telling him to focus on a quick, level swing and keeping the ball out of the air? Walker's inability to get through to a young hitter with a terrible approach is disappointing but I'm not about to dump the blame on him for the failures of a seemingly untalented hitter who really hasn't done anything exceptional at the plate since high A ball 3 years ago. Personally, I'm s***-canning Walker because I believe a new voice could be needed to get through to some of these young hitters. I'm sure Walker has a fine philosophy on hitting but I'm not convinced he's much of a teacher. QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ May 13, 2009 -> 12:03 AM) Getz doesnt have a home run swing, nor is he swinging for the fences. Right now there is an adjustment that has been made on him that he needs to overcome. Line drive hitters, who let the ball get deep on them like Getz will eventually get the inside treatment. Once he learns to get around on that pitch instead of letting it get deep and popping it into left softly he will take the next step. Oddly this is the same approach people are taking with your man crush Sweeney. The chess move has been played, its time for Getz to adjust. Two great posts that post great together.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ May 13, 2009 -> 07:38 AM) I know everyone says hes a non-prospect but Wesley Whisler did it again. 7IP 3H 0R 3BB 2SO. ERA on the year down to 1.76 Yeah, at some point, he's worth a look. He's gotten this far. If Richard or Gobble falter or get hurt, I think Whisler shoudl get a call-up. Maybe look at him in September in any case.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 12, 2009 -> 05:12 PM) Good tips: Find a fruit stand or vegetable store, the prices there are usually MUCH better than a Whole Foods or something like that. This is a good call. Places like Stanley's (produce market at North and Elston) are a great example.

Infante got hit around for the 2nd outing in a row. Coming back down to earth a bit. Cole Armstrong is playing in his 4th straight game - odd, since Lucy had played more games than him before then but they were basically alternating. I wonder if Lucy is hurt.

Inouye was released this week. He had put up some pretty bad numbers repeating Kanny.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ May 12, 2009 -> 03:09 PM) He's down in extended spring training and will be until short season begins. Is Dubler in extended ST? I was really surprised they promoted Larson instead of Dubler to Kanny, since Larson doesn't look like much of a prospect.